EVERY YEAR, the buying teams responsible for seasonal items try to outdo the success of the previous year by bringing in
new items or improving the quality of
existing items. The selection of artificial
pre-lit trees ( 7. 5, 9 and 12 feet) is a perfect
example of buyers raising the bar.

Thanks to the move from a sprucetree style to an aspen tree style, “theCostco GE Just Cut Aspen Fir tree seriesare the most realistic-looking artificialpre-lit Christmas trees in the industry,”says Carolyn Friedman, Costco buyer forseasonal products. “The Aspen’s out-swept design and new multi-tip moldedbranch tips combine to bring a tradi-tional, lifelike, sophisticated style of arti-ficial Christmas tree not commonly foundin the mass market.”“Unlike conventional artificial trees,which are made mostly from cut PVC, theCostco GE Just Cut trees are manufac-tured with a much higher ratio of the real-istic polyethylene [PE] tips,” says DougMoyer, vice president of Nicolas HolidayInc., the company that manufactures theCostco trees. For example, he says, thisyear Costco’s 7.5-foot GE Just Cut AspenFir is made with 70 percent PE tips andonly 30 percent PVC tips. “This higherratio of PE tips allows us to create morelifelike tree branches. The tree branchesare true representations of popular liveChristmas trees,” says Moyer.

Each tree has a dazzling number of
GE Color Choice LED lights, with 700 on
the 7.5-foot tree, 900 on the 9-foot tree and

“For 2016, we are using a new guidepost
and receiver connection, allowing each
tree section to connect effortlessly and
securely,” says Moyer.

“Costco’s artificial Christmas tree
value exceeds what is offered by other
retailers, by combining the best in a natural design, dual-color LED light technology,
features and materials into each tree size,”
says Friedman. Item #999094 ( 7. 5 feet)

#999095 ( 9 feet), #999096 ( 12 feet). All
three trees are available in the warehouses
and on Costco.com.—T. Foster Jones

40-count Hallmark card bundles, featuring
four separate designs per bundle ( 10 of each
design). Members will find a range of styles,
including Hallmark-exclusive Peanuts and
Thomas Kinkade cards. In fact, one of the
four featured Thomas Kinkade designs is also
a Costco exclusive.

Costco’s offering uses the heaviest and
brightest card stock available from Hallmark.
You won’t find any plain designs here: Each
card is crafted with quality in mind, going
through no fewer than three decorative processes, such as hot stamping, foiling and die
cutting. The bundles also include coordinating foil-lined, self-sealing envelopes. Plus, if
you find yourself with extras, sturdy packaging allows you to store excess cards. Item
#999289—HM

Kirkland Signature wrapping paper

Friedman expects this year’s new wrap
item, the double-sided foil counter roll, to be a
hit. “We took our successful full-color, printed,
reversible wrap and our other successful foil
wrap and combined the two,” she says. The
result? One side is printed and the other is foil.

“The new wrap is 269 square feet per roll
and comes in six colorful designs, from contemporary red poinsettias coupled with gold
foil stripes to bright, whimsical Christmas
characters with shiny Santa faces on the
reverse side,” she says.

The Kirkland Signature gift wrap four-pack, with four of five designs per pack (
traditional designs, red/silver/white, brights,
silver/white and red/green/silver) is available
in plain, foil and holographic paper. A
Hanukkah ensemble four-pack includes 12
bows and 12 handmade coordinating gift
tags. Rounding out the holiday selection is an
eight-piece assorted cracker set; each cracker
contains a party gift, a hat and a joke.

The trees used to make the paper come
from responsibly sourced sustainable forests
and are certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council. The specialty-grade base paper, called
“finesse,” is produced in Finland but transferred, metalized and printed in the UK. It is,
on average, 30 percent heavier than the majority of paper in the market, making it stronger
and more resistant to bursting or tearing.

The paper is also whiter than most luxury
papers, and this enhances the print so the colors appear brighter and more vibrant, with a
beautiful sheen.

Finally, the wrapping paper is printed
using top-quality water-soluble inks instead
of petrochemical-based inks, which can be
harmful to the environment.